Nourhan Bassam
Founder and CEO of The Gendered City | The Netherlands
Nourhan Bassam is “leading the fifth wave of feminism, one rooted in space, design, and justice”. Change in cities matters, she says, because “no more generations of women should have to live with restrictions, fear, or exclusion in public space”. That’s why she founded The Gendered City and FEM.DES, both of which introduce feminist methodologies that governments, architects, and NGOs can apply to improve safety, mobility, and public space equity as a basis for improved freedoms, opportunities, and identities.
Bridging research and practice, Nourhan creates feminist urban design tools that centre safety, equity, and participation. These tools, made available to city administrations, help shape policies, guide real projects, and build global capacity, resulting in more sustainable, inclusive cities where women and marginalised groups can enjoy safer and more accessible urban experiences.
Through The Gendered City and the FEM.DES global network, Nourhan currently supports 500+ experts in the process of transforming urban spaces across 35 countries. Her projects, that boost inclusion and gender needs awareness, include Women After Dark, FEM.Atlas, and the Feminist Placemaking programme, which prioritise social sustainability and intersectionality as a core pillar of urban development by aiming to improve security, night-time safety, mobility, and community wellbeing.
